Our “talk story” narratives arise from our drive to know more about intriguing residents of Hawai’i, art and culture. The format is simple and casual – we meet face to face, pose a few straightforward questions, shoot some photos and document the conversation as it naturally evolves. Whatever cool thing we discover is available here for all that want to tune in and get the scoops too.

Chrissy and I arrived with a camera, a notepad and a six pack to “talk story” with Kahi Pacarro about an ancient Hawaiian surfboard called the Alaia. The Alaia is constructed entirely of wood, is super thin, shaped with a round nose and square tail and has no fin. Kahi, known for his work with Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, is a surfer, shaper of Alaia boards and a three-time winner of the Buffalo Big Board Classic Alaia Division. With introductions complete and drinks in hands, our first question was how do you surf one of these?

We’re told that learning how to surf on a wood board is essentially having to relearn how to surf. To start, the Alaia is so thin that it’s notoriously difficult to paddle. Kahi shared, “Using this board will bulk up your back…, you must learn to read the water and be in the exact right spot to take off on a wave. So yeah – much harder to paddle into a wave but once you are on – the speed and agility are incredible!”. A seasoned surfer, Kahi was 29, when the chance to try an Alaia materialized in California. His friend, trying his hand at shaping, had used a piece of pine wood which Kahi promptly took out for a spin. As luck would have it, he caught a wave that session and from that moment on he was hooked! Kahi was so excited that his friend let him buy it. This newly purchased pine wood board became part of his surf quiver, … and he was set to embark on a two year around the world surf trip!

During that surf trip and over a period at J-Bay (Jefferys Bay, South Africa) Kahi rode his pine Alaia almost exclusively – building his skill, strength and prowess. The sight of him “flying down the line on a piece of wood” attracted a lot of attention. The exposure in J-Bay led to a man approaching Kahi and offering him an opportunity to shape. Always up for a challenge, Kahi started with three tools – a jigsaw, a sander, and a hand plane. Fortunately, the learning curve for shaping a wooden board was not as steep as riding an Alaia. Using his own Alaia as a template, he followed the basic steps; draw the shape, cut the outline, plane the rails, sand, oil, and surf.

The Alaia is an attractive, functional and environmentally friendly board, and Kahi has since shaped many more for himself and for others who share his enthusiasm. Kahi confides that for him the Alaia’s stoke is its performance – emphasizing again how unbelievably fast and assertive these wood boards are. His own experience surfing an Alaia is all the testament he needs to comprehend the strength, skill, and finesse of the ancient Hawaiian Alaia surfers – those “Hawaiians were Ripping!”. As the sun sets and our session closes, we take with us the camera, the notepad and our “story” of Alaia and our island’s past and present watermen who “fly down the line”.

Ars Café is a purveyor of coffee, tea, gelato, and food complemented by art and ambiance. I learned all that after experiencing THE best expresso I have had this side of Italy. Just a single thimble of their signature expresso reflects the high quality and thoughtfulness of everything Ars represents.

Residing at the heart of this café is the gorgeous Koa wood accented custom expresso machine; this coffee maker is a piece of art in itself. Poised on top of the expresso machine and at the ready are the handcrafted mugs. Follow the length of the coffee counter and there wait the bakery and gelato cases. Stop! Chocolate gelato! My reputation as a dessert first girl is well deserved because at this point, I add a scoop to my existing order of coffee and exquisite avocado toast. No ordinary gelato, it is house made, from scratch, with organic ingredients and nothing artificial. Note for my fellow affogato fans – it’s on the menu but the quality of the expresso and the quality of the gelato are best experienced individually.

What else about Ars is distinctive? The ambiance. From monthly rotating art shows, presence of a turntable, tasteful spare decor and the absence of WiFi, Ars patrons respond to the intentional environment. We collectively chat, pay attention to what album is playing, to the art on the walls. On my last visit, blues legend B.B. King was playing. The fact that I recall that means something to me. Here at Ars, I hear and most importantly listen with enjoyment.

For these reasons, it’s the café I recommend to those who appreciate finer things. These aficionados are a diverse collection of islanders and vacationers – artists, coffee connoisseurs, foodies, hipsters, runners, walkers and generally just an all-around appreciative crowd.